All down the line

IN THE middle of Germany’s capital, refugees—among them pregnant women and babies—are sleeping on the pavement in freezing temperatures. Many come early in the morning, hoping to make it to the head of the line by the following day, says Christiane Beckmann of Moabit Hilft, an organisation of volunteers who provide them with food, clothes and advice. One woman holds up stamps showing she has come unsuccessfully seven days in a row. Their goal is to get into the large, ugly office building of LaGeSo, the German abbreviation for Berlin’s state office for health and social affairs. It is with this agency that refugees must register when they get to Berlin, and then re-register to obtain health care and services.